


The Fox and the Uchiha

by saucekays



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Art, Childhood Friends, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fox Demon Uzumaki Naruto, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Illustrations, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Slash, Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:27:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,117
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25433116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saucekays/pseuds/saucekays
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha is his family's youngest son, but that doesn't mean he is the weakest. Even at six years old, he is determined to prove himself... By learning a Summoning jutsu!And not just any Summoning jutsu, either. Sasuke practices and practices, until he is able to summon a legendary beast, one who listens to no ninja except those with Uchiha blood: a Nine-Tailed Fox.However, when Sasuke finally achieves this great feat, his Summon appears... different from what he expected.AU where Naruto, a young kitsune who often chooses to appear (mostly) human, is Sasuke's summon. The two of them become fast childhood friends, and this bond may change many things...This story is brought to life by incredible drawings from @hornybiologist (Twitter).
Relationships: Uchiha Sasuke & Uzumaki Naruto
Comments: 18
Kudos: 122





	The Fox and the Uchiha

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, and welcome to a brand-new Naruto AU! I wanted to leave a few brief notes on the canon divergence this fic contains. 
> 
> For starters, Naruto is from the Kitsune realm, which functions much the same way as the Toad realm does in canon. Kurama exists in the Kitsune realm, but he is not part of Naruto in the same sense. It's easier to think of him as being (distantly) related to Naruto.  
> As Naruto is a summon, he does not officially become part of team 7 in this AU. You'll have to wait and see who is there instead ;) however, Naruto does frequently end up travelling and fighting alongside Sasuke.  
> Lastly, this fic will feature SNS as a couple in the future, though this will most likely take place in a sequel when they are older. 
> 
> Each chapter of this fic will include illustrations by amazing artist Siu, who incidentally came up with the idea for this AU in the first place (!). Please follow her art account @hornybiologist and/or her fan account @nyarutomaki . 
> 
> Anyway, that's enough rambling for now. Enjoy this fic!

“Kuchiyose no Jutsu!” 

A voice rang through the forest, echoing loud and clear over the treetops despite the evident young age of the speaker. 

A puff of smoke, then the focused face of a young shinobi.

The young boy huffed, staring at the hand he had placed on the ground seconds earlier. His expression twisted in concentration and then pain as he slowly raised his hand and glared at his thumb, which was heavily abused and bleeding slowly. 

The boy’s name was Uchiha Sasuke, and he was attempting his first summon at only six years of age. 

“Come _on_ ,” he exhaled, tone bordering on a whine. “Kuchiyose no Jutsu!” 

He slammed his right palm into the dirt and a complex sigil formed on the ground surrounding him, spreading far beyond his reach. Sasuke’s face lit up, and he looked ahead in expectation. A large puff of white smoke erupted from the center of the sigil, filling his vision. Blinking rapidly, Sasuke stared into the middle of the cloud. The smoke began to clear, revealing… 

Nothing. 

Sasuke sat back in the grass, disappointment filling his eyes. His gaze wandered to the scroll lying haphazardly somewhere to his left, his own bloody signature scrawled in a column far to the left of the first one. 

“The Uchiha have a long history of summoning the Kitsune,” he reminded himself quietly. “I _will_ do this.” 

He thought of his older brother, Itachi. _His_ name wasn’t on the scroll. Sasuke smirked as a flicker of warm pride and determination filled him. “I will surpass you, Brother!” 

He swiftly stood and dusted himself off. Bit into his sore thumb again, and then a second time when he didn’t get enough blood. 

“ _Kuchiyose no Jutsu!”_ he cried. Several large crows flew away at the sound of his voice. 

This time, the smoke which appeared felt different. It carried power, and Sasuke’s small body was thrown backwards onto the ground. The impact expelled the breath from his lungs, and it took him a few seconds to scramble into a sitting position. When he did, smoke stung his vision and caused his eyes to water. Wiping furiously, the young boy froze when he heard a voice boom out from the center of the cloud. 

“ _Who dares summon me…” --_ Sasuke’s breath hitched-- “ _The mighty Kyuubi...” --_ Two fiery red eyes came into view, staring him down-- “Uzumaki Naruto!” 

The smoke cleared. Sasuke shook his head and stared, wide-eyed. 

Crouched on the ground a few feet away from him was a boy-- _No,_ Sasuke realized, seeing the pointed ears. His eyes roamed over the figure, taking a closer look. His Summon had relatively human proportions and facial features, but undeniable fox traits as well. _The ears… the red eyes… the whiskers, and…_ Sasuke frowned.

“Why do you only have one tail,” he croaked, voice hoarse from his previous yells and all the smoke. 

The creature’s face changed rapidly. It had been smiling before, but now its ears were flattened slightly and its cheeks puffed out slightly in an expression Sasuke was _sure_ his brother would call a pout. When it spoke, its voice was a far cry from the previous roar it had announced its presence with. 

“Listen... “ it mumbled, not looking at Sasuke, “It’s not my fault I’m still learning how to control my henge properly…” 

Sasuke had finally managed to sit up by this point, and was watching the creature in front of him closely. “Wait… You’re not _the_ Kyuubi, are you?” 

The Summon-- _Naruto?--_ met Sasuke’s eyes, surprise flaring to life like a small flame. “Huh? You mean Grandpa Kurama?” he said. 

As calm as Naruto seemed saying the name, Sasuke felt goosebumps rise on his arms after hearing it. _Kurama._ The oldest Kitsune, the one Sasuke had been trying to summon. A powerful being who, out of all ninja, listened only to the Uchiha. 

“Y-Yeah. Him,” Sasuke said, his mouth slightly dry. 

To his astonishment, the Summon in front of him rolled his eyes. “Oh, he’s boring. All he does is sleep. He almost _never_ comes when someone summons him, ‘specially if it’s a little boy like you.” 

Sasuke frowned and crossed his arms. “I’m not little. Besides, you don’t look very big either.” 

The Summon glared right back at him. “I am, too. I’m a _Kyuubi.”_

“With only one tail,” Sasuke pointed out sagely. 

Naruto huffed. “Why’d you even summon me, anyway?” 

“I didn’t want to summon you. I wanted the _real_ Kyuubi.” 

“Oh yeah? What’d you need that old guy for? I bet I could do anything you ask just as well as him, any day.” 

Sasuke thought for a minute, still frowning faintly. “I… I just wanted to show people that I'm capable of summoning a kitsune.” 

He started when Naruto sprung upwards on two legs and suddenly stood right in front of him, holding his hand out. “Well you _can_ summon one, can’t you? Come on, let’s go show everybody!” 

Sasuke was bewildered. Had the fox boy forgotten how they had just been trading insults? “I…” he began. 

Naruto rolled his eyes again. “Just come on already, idiot.” 

Sasuke slowly stretched out his hand, the one he hadn’t been biting bloody all day. Naruto took it without hesitation, pulling him upwards. 

“Let’s go!” Naruto said, not letting go of Sasuke’s hand. His eyes sparked, and his red tail waved behind him. “Which way is your house?” 

“T-that way,” Sasuke mumbled, pointing half-heartedly towards a forest path. He could feel the tips of his ears heating up, and hoped that Naruto couldn’t see it. 

“Alright!” Naruto replied. He darted to the edge of the woods, dragging Sasuke along. “Come on!” 

The young shinobi watched the strange kitsune, still not entirely sure what to make of him. Naruto had turned to face him, flashing a bright, teeth-baring smile. Sasuke couldn’t help but notice his small fangs. An idea occurred to him.

“Hey… Kyuubi.” 

The boy’s ears pricked, turning towards him ever so slightly. “Yeah?” 

“Can you henge into your fox form once we get to the house?” 

Naruto flicked his tail, evidently excited. “Sure! Actually, I can do it right now!” 

He paused suddenly, pulling a much more focused expression than he had worn previously. He concentrated hard for a few seconds, then disappeared in another puff of smoke. 

Sasuke trained his eyes on the spot expectantly. He looked faintly puzzled when Naruto didn’t seem to reappear… then his gaze dropped lower and his mouth fell open. 

“You’re… You’re _tiny!”_ was all he could say. 

The fox in front of him really was small: on all fours, he was not that much larger than the ninneko Sasuke sometimes saw around the Uchiha compound. 

The little fox shot him a look, flattening his ears. 

“At least I have nine tails,” he grumbled, and _woah._

“Are… Are you talking inside my head?” Sasuke asked. 

“Yeah, I am,” the fox replied. “I always do when I’m in this form. Didn’t you know that? Grandpa Kurama only ever talks like this.” 

Hearing the boy’s loud voice in his mind was strange. Especially when its source was a small fox who wasn’t moving his lips at all. 

...It was also pretty cool, though. _Even Itachi will be impressed by this,_ Sasuke thought. 

“Okay, Kyuubi,” he said, puffing out his chest and putting on a commanding air. “Let’s go to the compound.” 

The fox inclined his head and scampered ahead on all fours. Sasuke rolled his eyes and sprinted after him. 

Soon, they reached the walls of the Uchiha compound. Sasuke skirted around until they reached a gate. Before he opened it, he checked behind him to see whether the Kyuubi was still there. 

There was nobody following him. 

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, looking around. “Hey, Kyuubi,” he hissed, careful not to be too loud in case someone came to investigate and found him Kyuubi-less. 

A few moments later, Naruto finally came around the corner, albeit slowly. 

“Where were you?” demanded Sasuke. 

He could have sworn the fox pouted as he continued to walk forward. Then he suddenly flopped on the ground, limbs splayed out beneath him and his nine tails just a pile of fur behind him. 

“What are you _doing,”_ Sasuke hissed. None of his family members would be impressed if he came back with this heap of fur and called it a kitsune!

“I’m tired,” the fox moaned, drawing out the words. He blinked his eyes open, seeing Sasuke’s accusing expression. “What, I ran here really fast!” he said defensively. “It’s hard for me in this form, my legs are still short.” 

“You’re the one who chose to change into that form all the way back in the forest.” 

“How was I supposed to know your house was twenty minutes’ run away?” 

“Twenty minutes isn’t far to run.”

“It is after you just transformed your entire body!”

“Well, get up,” Sasuke said, rolling his eyes. “We’re already here.” 

“I can’t!” The fox rolled over dramatically, tongue lolling out, as if to prove his point. 

“You…” Sasuke shot him a glare. “ _Usuratonkachi._ If you don’t get up right now…” 

Naruto ignored him, curling up on the forest floor.

“I’ll carry you.” 

Naruto opened a single eye, staring up at him. 

“Yeah,” Sasuke said triumphantly, “I bet a Kyuubi like you doesn’t want to be carried around, right?” 

All of the ninneko hated being touched, so this didn’t seem like much of a stretch. 

But Naruto just stretched and yawned. “Sure, whatever.” 

Sasuke bristled. “What are you talking about?” 

“I don’t wanna walk anymore. If you want to show your family so bad, just take me to them.” 

“You…” Sasuke didn’t know what to say. This kitsune was turning out to be damn stubborn, despite its size. 

Sasuke didn’t want to haul his summon around, but it didn’t seem like he had much choice. Now that he had finally managed to summon a Kyuubi, he wasn’t going to give it up so easily. 

“Fine,” he grumbled. “I can’t believe you get tired so easily,” he added even as he moved forward, crouched down, and gathered the fox into his arms. 

Naruto was a lot for him to carry: Sasuke wasn’t very tall at his age and some of the kitsune's fluffy tails almost reached the ground even when he stood up. 

“Alright! Let’s go _now!”_ Naruto said excitedly, suspiciously sounding a lot less tired than he had just a few seconds before. 

“Yeah,” Sasuke replied, excitement glowing inside him despite his monotone voice. 

Sasuke pushed the gate of the compound open with one shoulder, hands under each of the fox’ arms. He trotted through the courtyard within, soon reaching one of the sliding doors leading into his house. He kicked off his shoes with minimal difficulty and hurried to the kitchen, where he could hear his mother busy cooking something. 

He silently padded down the hallway, poking his head around the corner and keeping the Kyuubi out of sight as best as he could. 

“Mom?” he called, slightly hesitant. 

Mikoto looked up from the vegetables she was chopping. “Oh, Sasuke,” she greeted him. “What is it?” 

Sasuke stood up as straight as he could in his awkward position behind the door. “I learned a Summoning jutsu!” 

Mikoto put down the knife she had been using, focusing her full attention on her son. “You did? What did you summon, Sasuke?” 

“I…” he swallowed, finding himself feeling a little nervous. “I learned how to summon a kitsune.”

He stepped fully into the doorway, holding Naruto in front of him. 

Mikoto looked genuinely amazed. “Sasuke! Is that a Kyuubi?” she asked. 

Sasuke nodded, eyes wide and a smile slowly spreading across his face. “I read so much about the Kyuubi and Summoning jutsu, and today I learned how to do it myself!”  
  


“You should have told your father what you were doing,” she said, approaching Sasuke to get a closer look. “I’m so proud of you. The Summoning technique is one few ninja are capable of, not to mention at your age.” 

“Thank you, mother,” Sasuke replied. He tried his best to be formal, to act like a grown-up shinobi, but he couldn’t fight the smile on his face. “I’m going to go show father and Itachi now.” 

“That’s an excellent idea, Sasuke.” 

“I’ll be back soon!” 

Sasuke turned and ran out of the room, fueled by pride welling up within him. 

“Your mother sounded so proud of you!” Naruto said once they were back in the hallway. 

Sasuke huffed. “Of course she was.” He hoisted the fox upwards so that he was holding on tighter. “Now we’ll go show everyone else.” 

Mikoto’s approval had filled Sasuke with confidence in his Summon once again, dispelling all doubts he had had earlier. He raced outdoors excitedly, to the building where he knew his father and Itachi would be. On the way there, he stopped in front of everyone he knew, excitedly showing them his kitsune. His fellow Clan members were all impressed, remarking on his prowess at such a young age. 

“Not even young Itachi is capable of such a feat,” an old man remarked, and Sasuke buzzed with pride from his head to his toes. 

Sasuke didn’t hesitate when he reached the right building. He opened the door and immediately stepped inside, walking purposefully down the hallways with Naruto tucked under his arm. 

“Father!” he cried when he caught sight of a familiar form. 

His smile faded slightly when his father didn’t even look at him, only raised a hand in midair as if to silence him. 

Peering into the room, Sasuke saw two men standing in front of his father, evidently discussing some type of business. Itachi was there too, standing silent and strong in his ANBU uniform. 

The sight of his brother in the same room as their father sent a bolt of jealousy through Sasuke, and he tried again to approach the doorway. His father just continued to speak to the other men, making no sign of recognition. 

Itachi was equally as trained on the conversation, but his eyes darted briefly to Sasuke, who seized the moment to hold up his Summon. His brother’s expression flickered briefly, but soon regained the same neutrality he always seemed to convey. Sasuke frowned, then gasped quietly as his brother looked at him again and motioned quickly with his hand. 

_Not right now,_ he was saying. Sasuke sighed deeply. 

“What’s going on?” Naruto asked, the voice inside his head startlingly loud compared to the muted environment. Sasuke just shook his head, turning to leave. 

Out of sight of Itachi and his father, Sasuke hung his head. His pace was much slower than it had been on his way over and he put the kitsune back down on the ground, motioning Naruto to walk alongside him. Sasuke stayed silent until they were back at home. 

Once in Sasuke’s room, Naruto henge’d back into his human form. He stretched exaggeratedly, bending this way and that. Sasuke watched mutely. 

Finally, Naruto’s wide eyes met his. “What was that all about?” he asked innocently. 

“Just my father and my brother Itachi,” Sasuke replied, shrugging. “They’re always busy,” he added, trying to keep a complaint out of his voice. 

Naruto watched him curiously. “It’s fine though, isn’t it?” 

“Yeah, I guess so.” Sasuke looked away. 

Naruto slid into his field of vision. “You can just summon me some other time, when they’re not busy!” 

Sasuke watched him thoughtfully. He realized something was different. “Weren’t your eyes red before?”

Naruto blinked. His large eyes were unquestionably blue now, though his pupils were still slit-shaped, adding to his slightly inhuman appearance. 

“Oh, yeah, I guess they were,” he shrugged. 

“Why’d they change?” 

“Well,” Naruto began, “They’re always red when I’m in fox form. And when I’m in this form… it depends.” 

Sasuke tilted his head, strangely curious. “Depends on what?” 

Naruto looked a little sheepish. “My mood, usually. Like, when you summoned me earlier…” he trailed off. 

“What happened then?” 

“Well… I was kinda trying to intimidate whoever summoned me, I guess…” 

Sasuke looked at his Summon in disbelief, then shook his head. “Intimidate?” 

“What?!” Naruto said, flicking his tail. 

Sasuke felt a strange urge to laugh. “Nothing,” he smiled. “It’s just that… You’re not intimidating no matter what color your eyes are, usuratonkachi.” 

“I’m not--- Hey! Take that back!” 

Sasuke shook his head, eyes glimmering with mirth and his sour mood from earlier completely forgotten. Naruto looked annoyed at first, but his facade didn’t last long and his whiskers twitched in amusement as he smiled. A lull fell in the conversation. 

“Actually, I should probably go back soon,” Naruto said presently. “I’m sure everyone else will want to hear about my first time being summoned!” 

“Okay,” Sasuke replied. He felt strangely disappointed at the thought of saying goodbye already. 

“Wait,” Naruto said. 

Before Sasuke registered what was happening, Naruto was standing right in front of him, then taking his hand and nuzzling it lightly with his nose. 

Sasuke’s eyes went wide as saucers, and he stumbled backwards as soon as he regained control over his muscles. 

“What was _that_ for?” he asked, looking at the spot on his hand suspiciously. 

“What?!” Naruto looked almost affronted. He flattened his ears slightly. “I was just memorizing your scent.” 

“Why would you do that?” 

“Foxes do it all the time,” Naruto said, crossing his arms. “It’s so I can always find you!” 

Sasuke wasn’t sure what to say, but he finally dropped the hand from his neck. 

“Summon me again soon, okay?” Naruto asked. 

Somehow, Sasuke found himself agreeing before he even realized what he was saying. “How often can I do that?”

“Whenever you want,” Naruto replied, smiling. He swished his tail and rubbed the back of his head, looking a little embarrassed. “You know, you’re actually the first person to summon me.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah!” The fox boy smiled blindingly. “So that means I’m always around! Just,” he looked marginally more serious, “Make sure you have enough chakra before summoning me.” 

Sasuke snorted. “Of course I will,” he said. 

Naruto flashed him one last teeth-baring smile before vanishing in a cloud of smoke, and suddenly Sasuke was just staring at the wall. 

Thinking of the events of that day, everything from the first moments of seeing his Summon to the praise he had received from his fellow Uchiha, made him happy. 

_Soon I’ll show father and Itachi, too,_ he said. _I know they’ll be proud of me._

Naruto may not have been what Sasuke expected from his Kyuubi summon, but the young boy found himself already looking forward to the next time they’d see each other, in spite of himself. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this AU! We expect to post new chapters at least bi-monthly, although since we are both very excited about this fic, updates may come closer to once per week. 
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated, either through a comment on this fic or a message on Twitter. My Twitter account is @sasugayuchlha . Please also give Siu some love on her social media, either @chayu_e (art account) or @nyarutoez (fan account), as this AU would not exist without her, neither would it have the amazing art it does now.


End file.
